1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method for determining an objective measurement of fame, and more particularly to a system and method for establishing fame-related weighted values associated with persons, places, or things through the automated analysis and collection of quantitative and contextual fame-related data, and for presenting such objective measurement to one or more users of such system.
2. Background
Fame, i.e., the extent to which a person's celebrity status or notoriety makes them known to the public, carries commercial value. Interest has risen over more than the last decade to recognize and exploit such commercial value, with providers of goods and services seeking to exploit a person's fame by associating such person with their product or service, whether by way of seeking formal endorsement or simply (and at times in violation of such person's right of publicity) trading on their reputation through direct or implied association. Disputes have arisen over misappropriation of a famous person's identity for commercial advantage. Producers of new television programs and motion pictures often seek actors with greater celebrity status to increase the audience for their program or picture. Fans enjoy tracking the personal lives, new shows, and general information relating to their favorite celebrities, such as by watching and reading celebrity news, which itself has become a significant industry in the United States. In most instances, the greater a person's celebrity, the greater the commercial value that can be associated with such person's identity. However, a person's celebrity status is largely reduced to the power of the public relations machinery behind such person. A person's celebrity status is typically only as powerful and/or valuable as their ability to remain in the news. Unfortunately to date, no objective measurement exists that can quantify fame and give a market-satisfiable analysis of the public standing of a celebrity.